Zachary too much for Salmen, 49-28

ZACHARY – Sixth-seeded Zachary had too much firepower for 11th-seeded Salmen in a 49-28 victory Friday night in the LHSAA Division I Non-Select regional round.

Zachary running back Kameron Thomas set the pace with 149 yards on the ground, including 73 on the opening possession that launched the Broncos out to a quick 7-0 lead.

The host Broncos played a pair quarterbacks in Senior Hudson Spangler and sophomore Caleb Gonzales. The pair combined to go 9-of-17 passing for 163 yards while tossing four touchdowns.

“I thought our Offense was very efficient tonight. We ran the ball effectively and we threw it well,” said Zachary head coach David Brewerton. “We have a couple issues on defense, but they wanted to run the ball and we shut that down completely and made them one dimensional”.

Forced to throw the ball 48 times after dropping behind the Broncos 28-0 in the second quarter, Spartans senior Cameron Dorsey completed 29-of-48 passes for 291 yards and a score.

Salmen leading rusher Jacobi Jefferson was held to 78 yards on 13 carries with a late 46-yard touchdown run.

Zachary scored 35 points in the first half, including a 28 yard pass from Spangler to Trey’dez Green to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead. Tyson George grabbed a 30-yard score from Spangler, Nate James had a two-yard touchdown rush and Gonzales hooked up with Christian Brooks from 19 yards out to round out the first half scoring for Zachary.

Damon Narcisse scored the first touchdown of the night for Salmen, trimming the Broncos lead down to 28-7.

Dorsey tossed Kalieb Rayford for nine-yard score with just five seconds to play in the half as Zachary took a 35-14 lead into the locker room.

George grabbed a 28-yard score from Spangler and Davenkio Ruffin scored on a 14 yard run to finish off the Broncos scoring.

Salmen (9-3) continued to battle as Narcisse scored from two yards out and Jefferson had his long touchdown run.

Zachary (10-1) will travel Destrehan for a Friday night quarterfinal showdown.